I'm at the very beginning of Python (https://www.codecademy.com/courses/introduction-to-python-6WeG3/1/3?curriculum_id=4f89dab3d788890003000096) - and when I run the code, the interpreter view doesn't show it (just shows "none").But I get a confirmation message from Codeacademy that I can move on to the next lesson. Weird.

Yes, this is completely normal. What will happen in the exercise is that the scoring engine will run your code and if it passes then you'll be able to move on. You will only see things in the interpreter view when your program write to the console.

If you want to see the value of Spam and Eggs addprint spam, eggsto the end of your code and it will output their values.